The HSE’s QUIT campaign - entitled ‘I Will Survive’ - won four awards at the 2017 Kinsale Sharks Awards, picking up Silver and Bronze in the Best International Film category, and Silver and Bronze in the Irish categories.
Jury members included Dan Lucey from BBDO in New York, Matt Lever Deputy ECD at VCCP in London, and Abi Pearl, Head of Advertising at giffgaff in the UK and a host of International delegates from the UK, France, Italy, the US, Qatar and Ireland attended the 55th Sharks creative awards festival in Kinsale recently.
Directed by Steve Cope, the HSE’s ‘I Will Survive’ campaign celebrates the fact that for the first time ever there are more quitters than smokers in Ireland. The primary aim of this new phase of the QUIT campaign is to drive a sense of urgency, action and repeat action where necessary – it tells smokers why they should quit …… now.
The film features a cast, including some real life ex-smokers, who are in that moment of giving up, others are in a moment of truth around the effect smoking has had on their life; all are defiant in the face of cigarettes and the harm they do. This film tells these stories using the words and music of Gloria Gaynor’s much loved song, ‘I Will Survive’.
Some twenty three per cent of the Irish population are smokers. The highest number of smokers are aged 25 to 34 year olds (33pc). Research shows that smokers know about the serious side effects of smoking and more than one in two (59pc) are trying to, planning or thinking about quitting smoking.
Martina Blake, HSE Lead for Tobacco Free Ireland Programme says, “Not only is this campaign getting international advertising industry recognition and awards, health care organisations from Belgium, USA and Australia, to mention but a few, have been in touch with regard to using the campaign in their jurisdictions, such is the impact it has had.
The QUIT campaign highlights the momentum we now have in Ireland, and aims to make smokers feels that they can join the former smokers they know, and get can help to do it. It emphasises the benefits of quitting while highlighting the range of free personalised supports available through the QUIT service. It also showcases peer to peer support around quitting by showing how it affects so many people within our communities and that so many have quit successfully.”
The QUIT service provides personalised, free, proven support by phone, face to face, email, SMS and live chat. One to one intensive support with trained smoking cessation practitioners, combined with drug treatments has the highest success rates for people quitting smoking. Face to face services are also provided by smoking cessation practitioners at 74 clinics across Ireland.
QUIT today call 1800 201 203 or sign up for your QUITplan on www.quit.ie